Thawing and steaming apparatus



Patented a. 31, 1933 1,933,214? THAWING AND STEAMING APPARATUS WaltenC.Elze, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to Hauck Manufacturing Company,Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application J anuary 19,

1932. Serial No. 587,510

4 Claims. (Cl. 122-23) The invention relates to apparatus fordevelopingwater vapor under a high degree of superheat and suitable forthawing and steaming operations, for example, in the thawing of fire hy-1 drants, frozen pipes, radiators, engines and the like, as well as thesteaming of feathers and wearing apparel' It has for a general object toafford apparatus of this character which shall be readily transportable,as on motorized fire apparatus in which no provision is made for thedevelopment of steam, and which heating apparatus also shall be of sucha nature that it will not be too heavy :0! unwieldy, whereby it may bereadily conveyed asa whole manually to the particular position for use,for example, in the thawing of fire. hydrantsj A further object of theinvention resides in the provision of a vapor-producing apparatuswherein vapor at'an extremely high degree of superheat may rapidly andexpeditiously be developed, for example, in the course of a quarter of aminute'or less fromthe time of igniting burner apparatus associatedtherewith. 1

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of apparatus ofthis nature which shall be particularly safe in operation, the vapor.being developed'under relatively low pressures but with a high degree ofsuperheat.

In carrying out the invention, a suitable supporting base is providedfor mounting a container. or the like which supplies fluid fuel underthe required pressure to suitable burner apparatus associated with avapor-generating device, the burner apparatus and vapor-generatingdevice also-being carried by said'base. Where-a gas main is available,of course, the fuel tank may be dispensedwith; or, the tank may beprovided as an entirely independent unit. V

If desired, the base may be provided with up.- standing handle membersor the like for manually conveying the apparatus to the point of use.

The vapor generator is so designed that not only willvapor be rapidlydeveloped therein but the same will be heated to a particularly highdegree of superheat. This is accomplished by mountingthe burnerapparatus within the lowerportion of a shell, provided with air openingsits lower part and open also at the top, this shell having securedthereto an annular water reservoir within which is co-axially located ahelix of pipe.

' The latter communicates with thebottom of the water reservoir and atits upper end discharges into a vapor chamber or drum mountedabove the Ishell and water reservoir and also in free com munication with thelatter.

To remove the vapor from this vapor chamber and atthe same time providethe vapor with a high degree of superheat, a U -tube element is located,for example, substantially axially of the helix, one leg of said elementterminating in the vapor chamber while the other may extendtherethrough, as well as through a cover member for the shell and vaporchamber; The latter is'also provided with discharge outlets for theproducts of combustion; v

The last-named leg of the said superheater element is connected insuitable manner with a delivery hose or the like through which thehighly heated water vapor is discharged for'use.

' The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood whendescribed in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a part front elevation and part vertical section of the novelapparatus.

This base is provided also with asocket or like locating member 12 forreceiving'and positioning the fuel tank 13 adapted to contain a fluidfuel, such as acetylene or other hydrocarbon gas, etc, providing anintense heat for development of the provided with feet ll-to displace itvertically.

water vapor. The'said tank, furthermore, may be provided with suitablecarryingstraps 14 in replenishing the fuel supply by substitution of afilled tank for an exhausted one.

A pipe 16 connects the outlet 1'7 oithe tank to suitable burnerapparatus embodying, for ex ample, the multiple burner elements 18.These are located at the lower portionof an open-ended shell member 20attached at the bottom to the base 10 and providedwith the openings 21.to the atmosphere for furnishing oxygen for the com bustion of the fuelin the burner apparatus.

Abovethis burner apparatus and secured in any suitable manner to theshell 20 and extending "substantially to the upper end of the same is anannular, cylindrical water reservoir 22, it being preferred to includean intermediate wall 23 of refractory and thermally, insulatingmaterial. Water is supplied to this reservoir through a combinationvalve and filler 24, and taps 25 are pro- I vided at various portionslongitudinally of the reservoir to assure the proper level of the watertherein. At its top, the reservoir is in free communication, as throughthe pipe connections or tubular drains 26, with a sealed vapor chamberor drum 27. The bottom of the chamber is preferably more or lessconcavo-convex with convex portion at the center and the pipeconnections at the lowest portion so that any condensation or watercarried over from the reservoir will be immediately returned thereto andthus effecting a complete separation of water and vapor.

Mounted co-axially within the shell and in the combustion space abovethe burner device, and thus surrounded by the water reservoir, is ahelix or pipe coil 30 which connects at its lower end 31 with the bottomof the reservoir and at its upper end 32 discharges the steam generatedtherein into the vapor chamber 27. The vapor is removed from the chamber27 through a superheater element constituted by a U-tube locatedsubstantially axially of the helix 30 and whose one leg 33 terminates inthe chamber 27, the open end thereof being located at the uppermostportion of said chamber to insure against moisture passing into the samewith the outgoing vapor and thus securing removal of the hottest vapor.The other leg 34 of this U-tube extends through the chamber. and alsothrough a top or cover member 35 mounted over the top of the shell andthe chamber 27, said cover member being provided with discharge openings36 for the products of combustion, which then moreor less envelope theouter portion of the leg 34 serving to maintain the superheat of thevapor thereby.

By means of a pipe 37, leg 34 is connected to a flexible hose member orthe like 38 having the nozzle 39 for discharging the highly superheatedvapor for use. A safety valve 40 may be inserted in the pipe 37, ifdesired, to provide against any undue pressures which might developthrough clogging or other sealing of the nozzle.

In apparatus of the hereinbefore described character, speed of operationis an essential element, as well as the production of a hightemperature, particularly in the provision of a dry superheated vapor.This is attained by the novel apparatus, it having been found possibleto develop a highly superheated vapor in less than onequarter minutestime from the ignition of the burner device.

The proportions of the apparatus are such that an adequate supply of dryhighly-heated steam or water vapor is furnished for a sufficient lengthof time; and when the supply of fuel is exhausted, a different filledcontainer for the same may readily be substituted for the exhausted one.

The apparatus as a whole, furthermore, is not unduly heavy or unwieldyand may conveniently be conveyed fromplace to place by two persons,upstanding handle members 41 for this purpose being attached to the base10, if desired. The burner-boiler element may, of course, be mountedindependently of the fuel supply, but it is preferred, generally, tocombine the same upon a single support, as the base 10 and as indicated.

The arrangement of the water reservoir as an annular member not onlyexpedites the development of the vapor, but this layer of water servesas a thermally insulating element with respect to the outer shellportion over that part of the apparatus which is immediately above theburners and wherein the highest temperatures prevail.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the character set forth, comprising means to supplyfluid fuel under pressure, a steam generator including a metallic shell,an annular water reservoir secured to the shell, a burner positionedbeneath the water reservoir and connected with the fuel supply, a helixof pipe coaxially disposed within the annular reservoir andcommunicating with the bottom thereof, a vapor chamber above the shelland water reservoir and in free communication at its lowermost portionwith the water reservoir and with the upper end of the helix above thesaid lowermost portion, superheater means mounted within the helixhaving one end in communication with the vapor chamber above the saidlowermost portion thereof, and vapor delivery means attached to theother end of said superheater means.

2. An apparatus of the character set forth, comprising means, to supplyfluid fuel under pressure, a steam generator including a metallic shell,an annular water reservoir secured to the shell, a burner positionedbeneath the water reservoir and connected with the fuel supply, a helixof pipe coaxially disposed within the annular reservoir andcommunicating with the bottom thereof, a vapor chamber above the shelland water reservoir, said chamber having a concavoconvex bottom, drainsfrom the concavo portion thereof to the water reservoir and the upperend of the helix extending into saidchamber above said concave portion,superheater means mounted within the helix having one end incommunication with the vapor chamber above the concave portion thereof,and vapor delivery means attached to the other end of said superheatermeans.

3. An apparatus of the character set forth, comprising means to supplyfluid fuel under pressure, a steam generator including a metallic shell,an annular, water reservoir securedto the shell, a burner positionedbeneath the water reservoir and connected with the fuel supply, a helixof pipe coaxially disposed within the annular reservoir andcommunicating with the bottom thereof, a vapor chamber above the shelland water reservoir. and in free communication at its lowermost portionwith the water reservoir and with theupper end of the helix above thesaid lowermost portion, a U-tube superheater element extendingsubstantially axially through the helix having one leg terminating inthe vapor chamber at its uppermost portion and the other passingtherethrough, and vapor delivery means attached to the outer end of saidlast-nam d leg and water reservoir and in free communication with thelatter and with the upper end of the helix, a U-tube superheater elementextending substantially axially through the helix having one legterminating in the vapor chamber and the other passing thcrethrough, acover over said shell and vapor chamber and having discharge openings tothe atmosphere, the last-named leg of the U-tube passing also throughsaid cover member, and vapor delivery means attached to the outer end ofsaid last-named leg of the u -t ube.

WALTER C. ELZE.

